Splash in the Rain Puddles

my dear Chase.  it's hard to believe that on March 8 it was 8 years since you made your arrival into this world.  such a sweet and gentle bundle you were. And now you are growing into such a sweet and vibrant young boy.  I love watching the way you bring joy to other people.   I love the way people respond to your "wit and wisdom", as your first grade teacher so accurately put it. 😊 I love the carefree love of life that you bring to our family.  Your love of music and singing continues to grow....making your mama's heart so happy.  What a special and wonderfully made gift God gave to us when Chase Daniel arrived 8 years ago.  It is an honor and privelege to be your mom.  loving his cake perfectly created by Grandma birthday donuts to share with his classmates And two days after the birthday festivities  we hopped on a plane to Florida to spend a week with this crew... so many great memories made.   W...

Here we are already smack dab in the middle of February!  What a winter of illness it has been for our family.  After another round of the stomach bug for 4 of us and a brief run in with the flu bug for one of us, I thought maybe we were in the clear.  And then Luke woke up last night with a fever.  Since becoming a mom I cannot remember a worse winter for sickness.  And it's not just our family...it's everywhere!  It's not good when you are repeatedly starting your days by asking, "anyone feeling sick today?!"....just assuming that someone is bound to raise their hand!!  shew...and I thought I was ready for spring in January.  multiply that desire by about 100 and that's where I'm at.  Come. On. Spring.  We are ready for little league baseball!  for Major League baseball!  for flowers!  for a few less layers of clothing!  for more hours of daylight!  so that we can spend even more time outside with this guy! ...

Well we survived the blizzard and finally got the kids back to school after adding an entire week off to their Christmas break.  Yikes.  That was a lot of snow days to be stuck inside with hubby out plowing, 3 antsy boys, and 1 very ornery puppy.  But we survived!  with board games, card games, puzzles, the Wii, movies and popcorn, and some very brief attempts to play in the snow...but seriously...it was just too cold!!  Things have leveled out a bit and we're back to a more normal winter feel.  still cold. still windy. have I mentioned I'm ready for spring?! if you're stuck inside and the windows are being buried in snow there is nothing better than a dinner of hot soup.   and when you're stuck inside and your garage doors are blocked by snow drifts you may as well eat waffles and bacon.....every morning....for a week.   dunkin date with this guy once the older two went back to school. so handsome and ready for the cold ...

there's been an addition to family.   meet Buckeye.   he's adorable. the perfect Christmas present for three little boys.  however, he's a puppy.  he chews, he pees everywhere, he chews, he bites, and chews, and pees and.....you get the picture.  Who thought this was a good idea?!  haha!  after a few rough first days and a sincere desire to return him, I'm trying to remember what I told myself with my babies.  It's only a stage.  Here's hoping the puppy stage passes quickly and as painlessly as possible!  and let's be honest, just one look at that sweet face and usually all of the days antics and accidents are forgiven.  Oh Buckeye. The holidays have come and gone.  so quickly like they always do.  The boys went back to school yesterday and now are off again today because of this crazy blizzard on the east coast.  Yikes!  I'm ready for spring!!  I'm pretty sure I say that every singl...

Christmas is in the air!  Today we are getting a very unusual early December snow.  And even for this summer loving girl, snow around Christmastime is just fun and magical.  Our house is decorated and cookies are baked.  We've been enjoying the holiday cheer...apart from this past week when the stomach bug decided to wreak havoc on a few of us.  but we're moving on and looking forward to healthy days ahead.  As I look at my calendar for the rest of the month, the days are full of activity and there doesn't seem to be much free time.  But it's my prayer that with each party, with each gathering shared with friends and family, we would never forget who we are celebrating and why we are celebrating.  I'm always overwhelmed when I think about the amazing gift of Jesus.  We are so blessed and undeserving to receive such a gift.  But how grateful I am for such a loving and gracious God.  For a God who gave the world his baby boy.  a...

It's November!  The start of the month that holds my favorite holiday.  Thanksgiving is my favorite.  A time to focus on all that we have...not all that we need....or should I say, want.  I'm thinking of my children in particular.  Teaching them the importance of gratitude and contentment is a deep desire in my mommy heart.  I feel very strongly that when we do not really grasp those two concepts and truly live with an attitude of thanksgiving, it becomes really difficult to have a spirit of joy. As Christians, we are given the gift of eternal life...the gift of mercy and grace that is new every morning...the gift of being a disciple of Christ.  As Americans, we are given the gift of freedom...the gift of living in a country that is a blessed land...blessed in ways that most of the world can only dream of.  And as members of our own families, we are given the gift of acceptance and love....the gift of belonging...the gift of knowing those people w...